Android Security Bulletin – December 2019

The well known and respected Android Security Bulletin is a publication that contains all the details of security vulnerabilities that are affecting Android devices. Security patch levels of 2019-12-05 or later have been addressed.

To learn how to check a device’s security patch level, see Check and update your Android version.

At least a month prior to publication all Android partners are notified of upcoming issues and changes. Source code patches for these issues are then tested and released to the Android Open Source Project ( AOSP ) in the following 2 days.

The most severe of these issues is a critical security vulnerability in the Framework component that could enable a remote attacker using a specially crafted message to cause a permanent denial of service. The severity assessment is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would possibly have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service mitigations are turned off for development purposes or if successfully bypassed.

Note: Information on the latest over-the-air update (OTA) and firmware images for Google devices is available in the December 2019 Pixel Update Bulletin.

Android and Google service mitigations

This is a summary of the mitigations provided by the Android security platform and service protections such as Google Play Protect. These capabilities reduce the likelihood that security vulnerabilities could be successfully exploited on Android.

• Exploitation for many issues on Android is made more difficult by enhancements in newer versions of the Android platform. We encourage all users to update to the latest version of Android where possible.
• The Android security team actively monitors for abuse through Google Play Protect and warns users about Potentially Harmful Applications. Google Play Protect is enabled by default on devices with Google Mobile Services, and is especially important for users who install apps from outside of Google Play.

2019-12-01 security patch level vulnerability details

In the sections below, we provide details for each of the security vulnerabilities that apply to the 2019-12-01 patch level. Vulnerabilities are grouped under the component they affect. There is a description of the issue and a table with the CVE, associated references, type of vulnerability, severity, and updated AOSP versions (where applicable). When available, we link the public change that addressed the issue to the bug ID, such as the AOSP change list. When multiple changes relate to a single bug, additional references are linked to numbers following the bug ID. Devices with Android 10 and later may receive security updates as well as Google Play system updates.

Framework

The most severe vulnerability in this section could enable a remote attacker using a specially crafted message to cause a permanent denial of service.

Media framework

The most severe vulnerability in this section could enable a remote attacker using a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process.

System

The most severe vulnerability in this section could enable a remote attacker using a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code within the context of an unprivileged process.

Google Play system updates

These security issues are included in Google Play system updates.

2019-12-05 security patch level vulnerability details

In the sections below, we provide details for each of the security vulnerabilities that apply to the 2019-12-05 patch level. Vulnerabilities are grouped under the component they affect and include details such as the CVE, associated references, type of vulnerability, severity, component (where applicable), and updated AOSP versions (where applicable). When available, we link the public change that addressed the issue to the bug ID, such as the AOSP change list. When multiple changes relate to a single bug, additional references are linked to numbers following the bug ID.

System

The vulnerability in this section could enable a local attacker with privileged access to gain access to sensitive data.

Kernel components

The most severe vulnerability in this section could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process.

Qualcomm components

These vulnerabilities affect Qualcomm components and are described in further detail in the appropriate Qualcomm security bulletin or security alert. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by Qualcomm.

Qualcomm closed-source components

These vulnerabilities affect Qualcomm closed-source components and are described in further detail in the appropriate Qualcomm security bulletin or security alert. The severity assessment of these issues is provided directly by Qualcomm.

Common questions and answers

This section answers common questions that may occur after reading this bulletin.

1. How do I determine if my device is updated to address these issues?

To learn how to check a device’s security patch level, see Check and update your Android version.

• Security patch levels of 2019-12-01 or later address all issues associated with the 2019-12-01 security patch level.
• Security patch levels of 2019-12-05 or later address all issues associated with the 2019-12-05 security patch level and all previous patch levels.

Device manufacturers that include these updates should set the patch string level to:

• [ro.build.version.security_patch]:[2019-12-01]
• [ro.build.version.security_patch]:[2019-12-05]

For some devices on Android 10 or later, the Google Play system update will have a date string that matches the 2019-12-01 security patch level. Please see this article for more details on how to install security updates.

2. Why does this bulletin have two security patch levels?

This bulletin has two security patch levels so that Android partners have the flexibility to fix a subset of vulnerabilities that are similar across all Android devices more quickly. Android partners are encouraged to fix all issues in this bulletin and use the latest security patch level.

• Devices that use the 2019-12-01 security patch level must include all issues associated with that security patch level, as well as fixes for all issues reported in previous security bulletins.
• Devices that use the security patch level of 2019-12-05 or newer must include all applicable patches in this (and previous) security bulletins.

Partners are encouraged to bundle the fixes for all issues they are addressing in a single update.

3. What do the entries in the Type column mean?

Entries in the Type column of the vulnerability details table reference the classification of the security vulnerability.

4. What do the entries in the References column mean?

Entries under the References column of the vulnerability details table may contain a prefix identifying the organization to which the reference value belongs.

5. What does an * next to the Android bug ID in the References column mean?

Issues that are not publicly available have an * next to the Android bug ID in the References column. The update for that issue is generally contained in the latest binary drivers for Pixel devices available from the Google Developer site.

6. Why are security vulnerabilities split between this bulletin and device / partner security bulletins, such as the Pixel bulletin?

Security vulnerabilities that are documented in this security bulletin are required to declare the latest security patch level on Android devices. Additional security vulnerabilities that are documented in the device / partner security bulletins are not required for declaring a security patch level. Android device and chipset manufacturers may also publish security vulnerability details specific to their products, such as Google, Huawei, LGE, Motorola, Nokia, or Samsung.

Versions

Source Credits:
https://www.androidauthority.com/december-2019-android-security-patch-1061883/
https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel
https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/security-updates

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David

I have been in the Information Technology industry for a little over a decade gaining a Bachelors degree in Information System Security and securing employment with various industries including Government, Financial, Healthcare, Corporate and the End User sectors.
I started Your Digital Mind in 2016as a way to share my love for Education, Technology and Science in an entertaining yet rewarding format. I hope you are learning and enjoying!

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